Jeremy Conn: The Ravens Say Good Bye

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 4: Nose tackle Haloti Ngata #92 of the Baltimore Ravens leaves the field after play against the Miami Dolphins in an NFL Wildcard Playoff Game at Dolphins Stadium on January 4, 2009 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

So far it has been an interesting start to free agency in the NFL. We have watched the Eagles trade away every key contributor they had left on their roster. The Saints traded Jimmy Graham to Seattle in return for a 1st round pick and Max Unger. But the move that caught everyone off guard was when the Ravens traded Haloti Ngata and a 7th round pick to the Lions for a 4th and 5th round pick.

The Ravens also waived good bye to McPhee, Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones and Owen Daniels. The Ngata trade had fans upset because everyone believed he would restructure his deal. The Ravens and Ngata couldn’t come to an agreement so the Ravens decided to get something for him. The move will save the Ravens roughly 8.5 million against the cap.

I was surprised that a few Ravens fans were happy to see Torrey Smith go. I agree that the price tag was very steep for Smith but the Ravens have to figure out how to replace his production. Torrey Smith had 11 TD’s last year. The Ravens will have a ton of draft picks, so maybe they find a few gems in the draft or we see the wheel and deal come draft day. Either way I have the utmost confidence in the Ravens front office to make this team a contender next year.